The 69th Azalea Invitational begins Thursday
CHARLESTON, SC (March 29, 2017) -- With April
just days away that means just one thing, that
golf season is about to begin in full bloom around
the country and one of the events that will help
kickoff the unofficial start of the season is the
69th Azalea Invitational.
Played at the 1925 Seth Raynor designed
Country Club of Charleston, the Azalea
Invitational welcomes many of the top junior,
collegiate and mid-amateur players from around
the country to the gorgeous 6,776 yard par-71
layout.
"Our signature hole is called the Redan hole
and
it is a par-3 with a severe false front, no water
and bunkers about 12-feet deep on either side,"
said Tournament Director David Humphreys.
"Sam Snead made a 12 there one-time and Ben
Hogan said, 'It should be dynamited.' We have
made it a little bit easier. A lot of players lay up
on a 175 yard hole and make a four and be glad
of it."
One of the players hoping to survive the
challenging 11th hole is Dalles Cowboy (even if
just barely) quarterback Tony Romo. The 36-
year-old had stopped playing golf a couple of
years ago to avoid complications with his back
but this week he will teeing it up against a top-
flight field.
Beginning on Thursday and running until
Sunday the 72-hole event has a long history that
dates back to 1946 when Frank Ford, Sr. MP won
the event and then the next for that matter.
Over the years many notable players have
made their mark at the Azalea Invitational and in
more recent years the likes of D.J. Trahan
(2002) and Webb Simpson (2004) have won the
event. Last year the title went to now Florida
freshman Andy Zhang by an impressive six-
strokes as he finished 15-under.
So with the 2017 event fast approaching
here
is a look at the some of the Players to Watch this
year:
PLAYERS TO WATCH | NAME
|
ACCOMPLISHMENTS |
| Richard
"Skip" Berkmeyer | Last year
Berkmeyer recored points in six
AmateurGolf.com Rankings events, with his best
finish being a sixth place showing at the George
C. Thomas Invitational. Since 2006 Berkmeyer
has made it to match play eight-times in USGA
events. | |
| Hugo
Bernard | Last year Bernard won the
NCAA Division II Championship Individual title,
Canadian Amateur and Orlando International
Amateur. | |
| Patrick
Christovich | A year ago
Christovich placed top-10 or better in five
AmateurGolf.com Ranking events. Over the
course of the last three years at the Azalea
Invitational Christovich has gone T3, 5th, 6th.
| |
| Joseph Deraney |
In 2016 Deraney had a break out year
winning the Stocker Cup, Lupton Invitational,
Timuquana Cup and Kentucky Mid-Amateur.
| |
| Brady Exber |
One of the more decorated players in the
field, Exber has his year off to a good start
following a win at the Summerlin Amateur. He is
also a four-time winner of the Senior Azalea
Invitational (2011-2014). | |
| Jack Hall | A year ago Hall
earned points in 11 AmateurGolf.com Ranking
events. His lone win came at the Gasparilla
Senior. | |
| Cole
Hammer | The first time Hammer
entered the national spotlight was in 2015 when
as a 15-year-old he qualified for the U.S. Open
at Chambers Bay. Hammer, who has committed
to Texas, finished tied for 10th in the Azalea
Invitational last year. | |
| Scott Harvey | One of the best
in the country, Harvey won the George C.
Thomas Invitational in 2016 and also was a
medalist and runner-up at the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
| |
| Jeff Knox |
The winner at the Crump Cup last season,
Knox is best known nationally for his
appearances in the Masters as a non-competing
marker. | |
| Mike
McCoy | A mid-amateur member of
the 2015 Walker Cup team, McCoy won the U.S.
Mid-Amateur in 2013. | |
| Trent Phillips | A Georgia
commit, Phillips won the 2016 Palmetto Amateur
and placed second at the Azalea Invitational last
year as well. | |
| Tony Romo | The questions still
swirl around where Romo will play next year but
the longtime Dallas Cowboys QB will be teeing it
up this week at the Country Club of Charleston.
In his NFL career Romo has passed for 34,183
yards and 248 touchdowns. | |
Nathan
Smith | One of the top mid-amateur
players in the country, Smith has won a record
four U.S. Mid-Amateur championships. |
| Todd White | The 2015
Azalea Invitational winner is back and looking to
improve upon a tied for 13th showing in his title
defense year. | | Aden Ye |
Three years ago Ye moved from China to
the Orlando area and he first made a name for
himself by qualifying for the European Tours
Volvo China Open as a 12-year-old. Now 16-
years-old, Ye has committed to Florida. |
|
ABOUT THE
Azalea Invitational
72-hole stroke play championship with a 54-hole cut
on a
1925
Seth Raynor design. Good mix of college
players, juniors
and mid amateurs. 7 spots available in a
qualifier.
Impressive list of past champions at this
traditional event. Reigning USGA champs often use
this tournament as a tune-up for the Masters.
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